


Believing is Seeing

by innerboo



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, Invisibility, M/M, Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-26
Updated: 2019-11-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:54:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21576370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/innerboo/pseuds/innerboo
Summary: Nishinoya Yuu is someone only Hinata can see. Hinata has no shame in talking to his friend, which turns out for the better.No spoilers for season 2 or 3.Rewrite of A Friend you Believe in
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Nishinoya Yuu
Comments: 12
Kudos: 122





	Believing is Seeing

**Author's Note:**

> Names will change depending on who is talking and who they're talking to.

The warmth of midday was uncomfortable compared to the chill of the gym. As he stood in the doorway, he could feel the temperatures fade to neutral.

He saw the captain waiting in there, adjusting his shoes. Captain looked up and waved, but Hinata focused on the boy sitting next to him.

The boy walked toward him, and Hinata couldn't take his eyes off him. He radiated confidence. It caught Hinata's interest.

The boy stopped close to Hinata. Hinata examined every inch of the boy's face, and then their eyes met.

Hinata assumed the boy was embarrassed when he ran away. Even with that in mind, Hinata wanted to meet him.

Hinata chased him to behind the gym. Quick reflexes saved him from crashing as the boy came to an abrupt stop.

Hinata waited for the boy. He had a picture in his head. Gentle, shy, and jumpy. He wanted to comfort him, but the boy had other ideas.

The boy spun around.

"Congratulations on being lucky number two," he cheered. Hinata imagined confetti and balloons in his voice. The boy acted as if there was.

Everything Hinata assumed shattered with that cheer. Hinata would never assume again. He thought that was for the best.

Hinata realized that he had just been staring at the boy. Searching for his voice, he asked the obvious question.

"What is lucky number two?"

The boy huffed and crossed his arms. He acted like Hinata should know the answer. Hinata felt dumb.

"Why, the second person who can see me," he said, rolling his eyes, but his grin showed no malevolence.

As an energetic person, Hinata had gotten used to feeling excitement. But he'd never gone through so many emotions in such quick succession.

"Are you a ghost?" Hinata asked, tilting his head.

The boy blinked at Hinata's nonchalance. He recovered, better than ever, and bounced in excitement.

A wide grin stretched across his face.

"As for what I am, I don't know. But what I do know is that I'm the number one libero, Nishinoya Yuu," Nishinoya declared.

Hinata's eyes sparkled at the volleyball term. He didn't miss the words, "Number one," either.

Nishinoya saw the sparkle, and grew more enthusiastic. He put his hands on his hips and laughed.

Hinata hopped, getting out the excited static in his legs. He laughed with Nishinoya until his lungs hurt.

Noya cleared his throat, and Hinata opened the eyes he never closed.

"I forgot to mention, you shouldn't talk to me in public. After all, no one else can see me."

Nishinoya's voice saddened Hinata. Nishinoya was holding on, strong in will, but Hinata would make sure Nishinoya wouldn't have to.

"I don't care what people think. I'm going to talk to you," he declared.

Hinata's voice held absolute certainty. He was determined to never see Nishinoya dejected ever again.

Hinata pointed to himself. "I'm Hinata Shouyou, but you can call me Shouyou."

Nishinoya's eyes widened. Then, he regained his earlier cheer. It made Hinata breathe again.

"Call me Yuu," Yuu said.

They soaked in each others presence. Hinata wanted to stay in it as long as he could, but soft footsteps thudded behind him.

"Hinata, are you okay?"

Hinata turned to see Sugawara jogging towards him. The worry in his eyes softened as he saw Hinata's face.

"I was talking to a friend," Hinata reassured. "He's invisible to everyone but me, so you can't see him."

Sugawara tilted his head, confusion on his face. Hinata challenged Sugawara to doubt him, but Sugawara surprised him.

"I don't believe in that stuff, but if he causes no harm, then I don't have any problems with him," Sugawara said.

Hinata saw Sugawara understood that, at least to Hinata, Yuu was real. It made him happy to have a friend that respected him.

Yuu walked up to Sugawara, sizing him up. After a few seconds, Yuu gave a thumbs up and then pointed to himself.

Hinata clapped his hands. "Oh right, I haven't introduced him yet. Sugawara Koushi, meet Nishinoya Yuu."

Sugawara's eyes followed to where Hinata was gesturing. He turned and bowed.

"It's my pleasure, Nishinoya."

* * *

Just as promised, Shouyou had no shame in talking to Yuu.

Most of the team reacted like Sugawara. Others did not.

"Hey," Tsukishima said, enthusiasm absent from his voice.

"Tsukki," Yamaguchi exclaimed, his eyes sparkling.

Tsukishima closed his eyes, indifferent to Yamaguchi's excitement.

"Faking will lead to less headaches later," Tsukishima explained.

"Hey, are you really playing along with this idiot," Kageyama complained.

If Tsukishima annoyed Hinata, Kageyama enraged him. Hinata flashed back to Yuu's sad smile, and that started the rockslide.

"Kageyama," Hinata roared. His anger had to go somewhere, and he preferred it went to his fist.

Captain ran between them, his face menacing. Lost in rage, Hinata didn't notice being held back.

"Shouyou, it's okay."

Hearing Yuu stopped his motions. His soft voice conflicted Hinata. Yuu should never be soft.

He looked to Yuu and was met with familiar confidence. Yuu grinned, and then stuck his tongue out at Kageyama. Hinata couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

"Kageyama, if he causes no harm, I see no reason why he shouldn't be allowed here," Captain stated.

With Hinata's every laugh, Kageyama got more enraged.

"No harm?" Kageyama spat. "Hinata almost punched me."

"You were being a jerk. Now knock it off," Sugawara reprimanded.

Kageyama's face contorted. He clenched his fists, and stormed off.

Hinata almost felt guilty, but Kageyama disrespected Yuu, something that would set him off every time. He never wanted to see Yuu discouraged ever again.

Sugawara slapped his back, and Hinata snapped to reality. Sugawara looked at him like things would be okay, unlike Yuu who looked as if he saw his enemies as a challenge.

Nothing was a challenge for the number one libero. Hinata believed that with his heart. He hadn't seen Yuu's receives before, but he knew Yuu wasn't bluffing.

Hinata's eyes flashed with determination. He never liked receiving, but Yuu made it sound like the coolest thing in the world.

"Captain, can we practice receives today?" Hinata asked.

Captain looked like he was about to fall over. His other teammates looked no different.

Sugawara recovered first. He had a feeling he knew why Hinata wanted to practice receives.

"Hinata, did Nishinoya play volleyball?" Suga asked.

Hinata's eyes sparkled, and relieved sighs filled the gym.

"Yuu is a libero. The best libero," Hinata exclaimed.

Sugawara smiled, relieved that all previous anger had vanished from Hinata.

-

Receives weren't learned in a day. That's what Suga thought, but Hinata proved to be the exception.

Suga watched Hinata corrected his form without Suga's guidance. Suga would've stood differently, but Hinata had adjusted himself to fit his lower height.

Suga had his style of receiving, but Hinata moved like he read a textbook and practiced until his arms fell off.

But if he did, he would've been exhausted today.

Daichi observed Hinata as well. He didn't understand the change. He didn't have to.

"It doesn't matter what we believe," he said.

Suga knew what Daichi was thinking at that moment, could feel the seriousness of his words. Suga gave voice to what they thought.

"What matters is Hinata."

* * *

To believe something that no one else believed in didn't dishearten Hinata. Hinata was brave, but Sugawara already knew that.

Hinata treated Nishinoya like a friend. It intrigued Sugawara.

"Nishinoya," Sugawara called, surprising himself.

Sugawara knew what he wanted to say, but he didn't think he would actually say it. He didn't have a choice now, so he cleared his throat.

"I don't know much about you, but thank you for your help on the receives."

Hinata grinned and pointed his thumb at himself. Sugawara had a feeling Nishinoya did something similar.

"We're just getting started," Hinata proclaimed.

Hinata would become a better receiver than Daichi. Sugawara felt useless, but he still could help.

"I can't compete with Kageyama, but if you need a toss, I'm here."

Sugawara felt like he pushed his own self destruct button as Hinata's face contorted.

"That's not true," Hinata yelled.

Sugawara wanted to believe that. Hinata dared him not to, but didn't give Sugawara the chance.

"Yuu says you should believe in yourself or he's going to rolling thunder your butt," he shouted.

Sugawara felt reassured by Hinata's words. After all, Hinata was Nishinoya.

If he believed that, then he came here to get to know Hinata more. Bravery didn't describe Sugawara, he knew that. But he still felt loss.

* * *

His mom had given up on stopping him from talking. As long as he was quiet, he could talk to his heart's content.

They spoke in a reasonable quietness, just enough to hear each other. Shouyou felt peaceful, their chatter soft and relaxing

"Shouyou, let me help you with your homework," Yuu said.

Yuu never asked Shouyou for anything. This felt important, and Shouyou felt confused as to why.

Yuu glared at his palms.

"I can't help you play volleyball like I'd like to, but I can help you with this," he explained.

Yuu had told Shouyou he wasn't a good study. To think Yuu would do this for him made him feel warm inside.

"Thank you, Yuu."

They worked on his math and English. Yuu tried his best, and Shouyou didn't want his kindness to go to waste.

Shouyou felt tired by the time they finished, but curiosity kept him awake.

Their eyes met, and Shouyou couldn't help himself.

"Yuu, do you get lonely when I sleep?" he blurted out.

Shouyou startled Yuu, but not as much as he startled himself. Shouyou wanted to bury his face in his hands.

"I lie down next to you," Yuu stated.

Shouyou expected to feel embarrassment, but he felt relieved. He never wanted Yuu to feel lonely, even if it means doing something so intimate.

"Shouyou, cuddle with me," Yuu requested.

Shouyou shivered. He didn't mean something _that_ intimate, but he found himself wanting it too.

"If you're comfortable, I'd like to," Shouyou stuttered.

Yuu grinned, and Shouyou's heart raced. He would have kicked his legs, but he was exhausted.

"Come on, Yuu," he said, getting under the covers.

Yuu flopped on top of him, before hugging Shouyou's side.

Yuu curled around him. He was warm against Shouyou's body. It lulled Shouyou to sleep.

"Goodnight Shouyou."

* * *

"Coach Ukai, do believe Nishinoya's real?"

Ukai glanced at Sugawara. He saw resolve in Sugawara's eyes. Ukai looked up.

"Hinata acts as if he hears what I'm saying. He also boosts morale whenever I'm about to break the flow. I think there's more to Nishinoya than just being a part of Hinata," he said.

Ukai saw sparks in Sugawara's eyes and waited for the flames.

"His birthday is October tenth. He is five point three feet tall, and his favorite food is soda popsicles," Sugawara listed.

Ukai shook his head, but not in disagreement. Sugawara looked at his hand.

"I don't care if I sound crazy. Nishinoya is my friend," he asserted.

"You're my friend too, Suga!"

Sugawara shrieked, and Ukai's quick reflexes caught Sugawara as he fell. Ukai thanked his captain for drilling him in receives.

Ukai gave a disappointed look to Nishinoya. Nishinoya's eyes widened.

"It appears that believing is seeing," Ukai said.

Sugawara wanted to stay in Ukai's arms. Ukai patted Sugawara's cheek to snap him out of it.

"You guys really can see me?" Nishinoya exclaimed.

Ukai stood Sugawara up. He let Sugawara lean on him, their arms interlinking. Ukai almost forgot the ball of energy in front of him.

He cleared his throat.

"Sugawara's speech was inspiring, so much so that I believe it's the reason we can see you," Ukai explained.

Ukai held out his free palm.

"Now shush so that Sugawara can recover," he demanded.

Convinced that Ukai was telling the truth, Nishinoya ran off to tell Hinata.

* * *

Tsukki focused on Hinata often nowadays. It made Yamaguchi jealous, but he would never admit it. He didn't know why Tsukki took an interest in Hinata, but it hurt all the same.

"He was about to hit the net, but his momentum stopped."

Yamaguchi snapped out of his thoughts in time to hear most of Tsukki's sentence.

He assumed Tsukki was talking about Hinata. It made him cranky, but he pondered Tsukki's words anyways.

It was impossible to stop forward momentum in air, Yamaguchi recalled. You would fly until you were stopped by something, like a person.

Yamaguchi gasped.

"Tsukki, you think Nishinoya's real?" he asked.

Tsukki didn't answer. He looked expressionless to most, but Yamaguchi knew better. Tsukki was indecisive.

"If you think he's real, then he must be," Yamaguchi reassured.

An embarrassing idea popped into Yamaguchi's mind, but if it made Tsukki feel better, he'd do anything.

Yamaguchi took a deep breath.

"Nishinoya," yelled Yamaguchi before Tsukki could stop him.

A boy with an orange jersey came into sight. Yamaguchi almost fell over. He had absolute faith in Tsukki, but he never thought he'd be able to see Nishinoya.

Yamaguchi recovered faster than he thought he would. He felt brave considering he looked at a _ghost._ Yamaguchi's still had the element of surprise as he once again took a deep breath.

"Do your best," he yelled.

Yamaguchi didn't care about the weird looks sent his way, not while Nishinoya grinned at him. And not while Tsukki looked at him with an embarrassed glare.

But Yamaguchi knew Tsukki better than that.

* * *

Suga, Asahi, and Daichi sat against the wall together, exhausted from their games. Suga and Asahi cuddled Daichi, who sat in the middle.

It relaxed Asahi, hearing Daichi and Suga breathe. But something troubled him.

"Asahi," Daichi said, senseing Asahi's conflict. Asahi closed his eyes, trying to find words.

"It feels like everyone can see Nishinoya," Asahi said.

Suga reached over to touch Asahi's hand. Asahi opened his eyes to confusion and hurt.

Asahi backtracked.

"It's not that I don't believe you, Suga. But I'm scared that what happened to Nishinoya will happen to me and you guys," he explained.

Asahi looked to the ceiling, shutting off Daichi's lecture. He understood that not believing doesn't mean it won't happen, but the fear was still there.

It was his choice. To be brave, or hide his head in the sand.

A kid with an orange jersey appeared next to Shouyou.

* * *

Shouyou wore his emotions like his favorite shirt. Everyone knew what it looked like, and Shouyou was happy to show them.

Yuu knew something was wrong and it showed in his eyes. Shouyou didn't want to hide anything, but felt thankful Yuu gave him time.

Shouyou curled his fingers.

"I should be happy more people can see you, but I'm scared you'll get tired of me," he whispered.

Yuu grabbed Shouyou's hands. His eyes held pain, but Shouyou didn't know why.

Yuu looked up. "I remember the last person who could see me. One day, he told me to leave and never come back."

Shouyou gasped, but Yuu wasn't done.

"Shouyou, someday, you'll meet someone who just clicks. You'll get married, have kids," Yuu trailed off.

Yuu believed that. Shouyou needed to prove him wrong, prove that Shouyou would stay with Yuu as long as he was able.

Shouyou pressed their lips together.

Yuu jerked away, but the grief was gone from his face. Shock settled in and faded into hope. Shouyou thought it looked good on Yuu.

"I love you," Shouyou said.

Yuu buried his face into Shouyou's chest.

They didn't need to say anything else.


End file.
